Another Epilogue to Common Sense? Seven Years for a Deputy for Words About Something That Has Long Been the Subject of International Investigation
Another verdict. Another person has received a sentence comparable to punishment for serious violent crimes. This time, it is seven years in prison for Maxim Kruglov, a former deputy of the Moscow City Duma and deputy chairman of the Yabloko party.
The reason was two Telegram posts published in the spring of 2022. They concerned the events in Bucha and the war in Ukraine. In them, Kruglov critically assessed the actions of Russian military personnel. For these publications, he was found guilty under the article on so-called “fake news about the army.”
But what is striking is not even the sentence itself.
What is striking is the reason.
This was not about military secrets or calls for violence. The criminal case centered on events that have been studied for years by journalists, international organizations, human rights defenders, and investigative bodies in different countries. Numerous investigations, satellite images, and eyewitness testimonies have been published about Bucha. There is also a significant body of documented material on Mariupol.
Yet the Russian state effectively declares that only it has the right to decide what is truth and what is lie, regardless of the evidence that exists.
For words the state considers false, a person is given a punishment comparable to sentences for serious crimes.
And who is this person? A deputy. Someone whose political role is to represent voters, criticize the authorities, and take part in public debate.
A paradoxical construction emerges: according to critics of the Russian political system, elections gradually lose real competitiveness, criminal prosecution becomes a tool for fighting dissent, and criticism of the authorities turns from an element of politics into a crime.
If the state itself defines truth, and disagreement with that truth can end in years of imprisonment, is there any room left for political discussion at all?
Politics begins to acquire the features of religious dogma.
Religion is built on faith. Politics, however, exists through debate, competition of ideas, comparison of arguments, and the constant testing of decisions in practice.
When the state declares its own political position to be the only permissible one, while all other assessments become a criminal offense, politics stops relying on evidence — or punishes people for publicly using it — and begins to demand faith.
This is especially visible in the wording of the charge itself.
The court concluded that Maxim Kruglov’s publications were “motivated by political and ideological hatred or hostility,” which allowed the case to be qualified under paragraph “d” of Part 2 of Article 207.3 of the Russian Criminal Code.
However, in his final statement, Kruglov spoke about something entirely different.
He thanked the court for the proper conduct of the proceedings and for the openness of the trial, which allowed his friends and colleagues to attend. He then explained that the main motivation of his entire life had always been love for his country.
“A country where human rights are respected and human life is valued.”
He ended his statement with these words:
“I want Russia to be a peaceful, prosperous country with internationally recognized borders, a country that is respected but not feared. I believe I will be able to see my daughter grow up in such a country.”
This is where the central question of this trial arises.
On one side, there is the court’s wording about “political and ideological hatred.” On the other, there is a man speaking about love for his country, human rights, peace, and the future of his own daughter.
If criticism of the authorities begins to be treated as a manifestation of political hatred, then citizens are left not only with the obligation to obey the law, but also with the need to demonstrate political loyalty to the official version of events.
This is where one of the most absurd boundaries is crossed.
If the state receives the right to define truth on its own, if criticism becomes a crime and doubt becomes grounds for years in prison, then this is no longer only about a monopoly on power, but also about a monopoly on truth.
Deputy Maxim Kruglov Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison
The Zamoskvoretsky District Court of Moscow found Maxim Kruglov, former deputy of the Moscow City Duma and deputy chairman of the Yabloko party, guilty under paragraph “d” of Part 2 of Article 207.3 of the Russian Criminal Code and sentenced him to seven years of imprisonment. The prosecutor had requested eight years in a penal colony.
The criminal case was based on two publications posted in his personal Telegram channel in April 2022. One concerned the mass killing in Bucha; in the other, the politician, citing UN data, wrote about Ukrainian civilians killed during the hostilities.
The court stated that the publications were “motivated by political and ideological hatred or hostility.”
Maxim Kruglov was detained on October 1, 2025. He did not plead guilty.